The Heroine Fell Deeply For Her [Quick Transmigration] 161

Chapter 161: I’ll Support You By Handing Out Flyers Part 6

This wasn’t the first time something like this had happened to Fu Zhaozhao.

As a child, she had once run into a ghost’s arms, complaining that it was cold and hard, scaring herself unconscious, and Fu Guanyue had to snatch her back from the ghost.

But Fu Zhaozhao never learned her lesson, always forgetting what happened before she fainted, and whenever Fu Guanyue tried to teach her about talismans, she would faint again.

Everyone gave up, concluding she simply had no talent, no longer forcing her.

And being from a branch family, not raised in Qizhou where the Fu clan resided, she didn’t know much about them, only close to her aunt, Fu Guanyue, who had saved her as a child.

In Fu Zhaozhao’s eyes, the Fu family were scholars specializing in folklore, all professors of folklore at prestigious universities, except for her father, the odd one out who started a business.

Including Fu Guanyue, who was a professor of folklore at Qizhou University, using business trips as an excuse to travel and exorcise evil spirits.

“My head hurts even more now, Little Aunt, I want to go to the hospital,” Fu Zhaozhao said, still shaken, pulling Fu Guanyue towards the exit, and Fu Guanyue had no choice but to follow.

With the customers gone, the lobby was much quieter, and Tao Ning, her hands on the table, watched as they left.

Suddenly, a shoulder bumped against hers, the sweet scent of milk tea wafting towards her, and she turned around to see Song Yanshu, always eager for gossip.

Song Yanshu winked: “You two seemed to be getting along quite well, when’s the next date? That internet celebrity messaged you again, asking why you didn’t watch her live stream tonight, so passive-aggressive, it made my skin crawl, so I deleted it.”

Having been friends for years, sharing secrets and escaping from the principal together, Song Yanshu knew Tao Ning’s unchanging phone password: her birthday.

Tao Ning gave her a thumbs-up: “Good job.”

Even if Song Yanshu hadn’t deleted it, she would have cleaned up her contact list, her promiscuous past was a bad habit.

And Song Yanshu had long disliked that internet celebrity who was clearly using Tao Ning, taking advantage of her vulnerability and even deceiving her.

Hearing Tao Ning’s praise, she puffed out her chest proudly, then asked, “You still haven’t told me about that elegant beauty, she doesn’t seem local, what’s her name?”

Tao Ning frowned, her vision blurring: “I don’t know, give me some milk tea too.”

Technically, Tao Ning shouldn’t know Fu Guanyue’s name or identity.

Song Yanshu was surprised: “You don’t know? Were you using fake names during your online relationship?”

She handed Tao Ning an insulated bag containing the milk tea she had ordered, 30% sugar, extra ice.

“I don’t know her, I just happened to give her a flyer,” Tao Ning said, taking a sip of the milk tea before she fainted, the sugar, although not much, helping slightly.

Song Yanshu was shocked: “What?! You don’t know her?! Why didn’t you say so earlier? I thought you dressed so plainly today just for her! Don’t tell me you didn’t even exchange contact information?!”

Tao Ning continued sipping her milk tea, could she say she forgot? Of course not: “Fate will bring us together again.”

“Keep dreaming.” Song Yanshu didn’t believe in fate, only in carefully orchestrated coincidences.

For example, this escape room wasn’t the result of hard work, but of days of pestering her CEO sister, crying and throwing tantrums, until she finally agreed, building it according to her junior’s preferences.

Well, she might even give the store to her junior later.

Birds of a feather flock together, and Song Yanshu, always thinking her friend was a walking money dispenser, was also a spendthrift, opening businesses to boost local employment, then gifting them to her current girlfriend.

They were known as the “Two Ruinous Beauties of Bin City.”

And because she always cried and begged her sister for funding, her sister had suggested she try acting, as her ability to cry on cue was a rare talent.

Tao Ning smiled, sipping her milk tea: “Don’t be so sure.”

After finishing, she tossed the empty bottle into the trash can, grabbed her phone, and walked out.

Song Yanshu followed, asking, “It’s still early, where are you going? Take me with you!”

Tao Ning waved her hand dismissively without turning around: “No, I have something to do at home, I’ll come back and help you tomorrow.”

Who would turn down free labor? Song Yanshu immediately dismissed her reluctance, waving enthusiastically: “Go ahead, I’ll be waiting for you tomorrow!”

At the hospital, Fu Guanyue sat waiting for Fu Zhaozhao to return with the medicine.

Her eyes were lowered, the white tiles reflecting the overhead lights, creating a hazy glow, like a moon shrouded in clouds.

Hearing a sound, she looked up, seeing a nurse pushing a medical cart, quickly disappearing down the corridor.

She touched her pocket, which felt warm, a faint green light flickering before fading.

Fu Guanyue felt like she had forgotten something.

The rustling of plastic bags approached, and Fu Zhaozhao, returning from the restroom after applying ointment to her forehead, emerged, smelling of medicine.

“Little Aunt, let’s go eat, it’s getting late,” she said, organizing the medicine bags.

Fu Guanyue stood up and left with her, their driver waiting, which was convenient.

Sitting in the car, Fu Guanyue suddenly remembered what she had forgotten, straightening up: “I forgot to ask her name.”

She turned to Fu Zhaozhao: “Zhao Zhao, do you know how to contact the staff at the escape room?”

Fu Zhaozhao touched her forehead, puzzled.

She had assumed her aunt wanted to contact the staff because of their good service, perhaps to make a reservation, then she realized her aunt hadn’t even known what an escape room was before today.

So, she asked tentatively, “Little Aunt, do you like escape rooms?”

She hadn’t heard of her aunt having any particular hobbies, only that she loved calligraphy and traveling, often disappearing to remote places, hard to find.

She had only replaced her old Nokia with a touchscreen phone last year, forced upon her by Fu Zhaozhao, finally dragging her out of the Stone Age and into modern times.

Forgetting to download any messaging apps was a regret she still carried, as contacting Fu Guanyue still required calling her, with no guarantee of an answer.

So, for Fu Guanyue, whose interests seemed to be limited to ancient artifacts, to say this was a shock to Fu Zhaozhao.

Fu Guanyue tapped her fingers on her knee: “No, I’m not going to play, I need to find that person, preferably for a one-on-one conversation.”

A one-on-one conversation?

Fu Zhaozhao imagined a candlelit dinner, piano music, a romantic conversation, and a successful date.

Her eyes widened: “Ah? You don’t like the game, you like the person, Little Aunt?”

“?”

Fu Guanyue, not following her niece’s train of thought, was confused.

What was she thinking?

Meanwhile, Tao Ning arrived at Antique Street just before sunset. Most of the shops were closed, the street deserted, a stark contrast to the bustling daytime scene.

The setting sun painted the sky red, dusk settling in.

This was a famous antique street in Bin City, next to a street specializing in ritual items, the tall building of the central hospital visible in the distance.

Tao Ning entered a shop that was still open, the owner preparing to close for dinner, the door unlocked, surprised to see a customer.

The owner stopped what he was doing, looking at Tao Ning, and said, “We’re closed, come back tomorrow.”

Tao Ning’s gaze swept across the shelves filled with various items, most with a faint spiritual aura, the truly valuable ones hidden in the back.

These were just for show, the shop’s real business hidden in the cabinet he was organizing, customers either introduced by acquaintances or cultivators themselves.

So, the owner, assuming she was just a casual customer, was a bit dismissive.

Tao Ning looked away, her gaze meeting the owner’s: “I’m here to buy something, and after walking this entire street, yours is the only shop with anything worth looking at.”

Compared to what she had seen in her past life, these were just scraps, yet they were now displayed as treasures.

After so many years, this place had truly changed.

The owner was taken aback, turning on the lights, thinking, Those words are somewhat pleasing to the ear, could she be a rogue cultivator?

He looked at Tao Ning, who, despite her seemingly carefree demeanor and lack of any visible artifacts, had a pure aura, similar to the cultivators he had met before.

So, he asked, “What are you looking for?”

Tao Ning: “A few things, three stacks of yellow paper, and three portions of fifty-year-old cinnabar.”

The owner instinctively asked, “Are you buying these for your elders?”

Buying yellow paper at an antique shop instead of the next street, where they sold ordinary paper for rituals, he assumed she was running errands for her family.

Tao Ning nodded.

The owner retrieved a few items from the cabinet, listing them as he tried to recall who this young woman was, suspecting she wasn’t local.

Suddenly, Tao Ning said, “This isn’t fifty-year-old cinnabar, it’s much younger, the efficacy is different.”

The owner, reminded by her words, instinctively opened the box and realized his mistake: “Sorry, I took the wrong one, let me get you the right one.”

He had reorganized the cabinet recently, some items not in their usual places, and he had been distracted.

Now he believed she was a true connoisseur, not just a random customer.

She hadn’t even looked at the markings on the bottom of the box, just a glance was enough for her to identify the cinnabar’s age, a rare skill.

He recalled her earlier actions, carefully examining the items in the shop upon entering, she hadn’t been confused, but rather, too knowledgeable, which was why she had stayed.

While the owner understood, 520 didn’t. Finally released by the host, it watched as she walked towards Antique Street.

The timid system was nervous, feeling something ominous would happen, the setting sun casting long, distorted shadows.

Seeing Tao Ning expertly discussing yellow paper and cinnabar, even asking about brushes and examining them with interest,

520 was even more confused: [Yellow paper, cinnabar, and a brush? Are you planning to paint, host?]

Tao Ning chose a brush, then another one she liked, as a spare: “If you consider drawing talismans as painting, then yes.”

520: [You can draw talismans?]

Tao Ning: “A little, not very skilled.”

She took the wrapped items and said, “Thank you, can I pay by scanning the QR code?”

The last sentence was directed at the owner. She paid and left with her purchases.

520 fell silent: […]

Host, how many more surprises do you have?

Driving back, Tao Ning also bought takeout, placing the insulated bag on the back seat, telling 520 that waiting to eat after finishing her task would take too long, this was faster.

520, however, had no idea what she was planning.

Asking directly seemed foolish, but keeping quiet was also frustrating.

Well, anything the host did was fine now, she was supposedly skilled in everything before losing her memory, and it wouldn’t believe a word she said anymore.

Back at her apartment building, Tao Ning didn’t go upstairs immediately, instead taking the items and finding a quiet spot in the small park below.

520 watched silently as she spread out the yellow paper, prepared the ink, and then studied the blank paper.

Tao Ning lifted the brush, and 520 waited anxiously.

After a while, mosquitoes, attracted by her presence, buzzed around her.

520, having just researched the ritual, helpfully reminded her, [Doesn’t it require burning incense, bathing, a pure heart, praying to the heavens for power, channeling spiritual energy, and drawing the talisman in one stroke?]

Give it up, host, just drawing it won’t work.

We need a clean and secluded place with strong spiritual energy, this small park isn’t suitable.

“Channeling spiritual energy, what’s so difficult about that?” Tao Ning’s hand moved skillfully, the brush gliding across the paper, a rune appearing.

The talisman flickered, emitting a faint spiritual aura, complete.

520 was surprised. Drawing a talisman was supposed to require years of practice, how could it be so easy: […Just like that?]

Tao Ning examined the talisman, seemingly satisfied: “Mm-hmm, not as good as before, but prettier. Back then, I often had to draw them while running for my life, it’s a good thing they didn’t laugh at my ugly talismans.”

520 felt there was more to the story, asking cautiously, [What if they did laugh?]

Tao Ning shook her head: “They wouldn’t have had the chance, those who saw them were either dead or buried underground.”

520’s curiosity, insatiable, wanted to know what the host did in the past: [What if you didn’t have time to draw them?]

Wouldn’t she just be running for her life?

Tao Ning recalled: “If they didn’t let me draw talismans, it meant they were willing to fight me directly, which was fine by me, but they usually weren’t, considering the potential losses too great.”

520 suddenly understood, so it meant a fight to the death?

So, those chasing her were mostly followers, willing to pursue her, but not to die for it.

Indeed, incompetent followers existed in every era, and Tao Ning, whose words were rarely trustworthy, had probably mastered all kinds of skills during her escape.

Placing the finished talisman on the table, Tao Ning ignored it, and strangely, the mosquitoes buzzing around her suddenly dispersed, staying outside the pavilion, not daring to approach.

520, watching in fascination, asked, [Why can’t they come in? Is it because of the talisman?]

Tao Ning observed for a moment, then replied, “It was originally a Beast Repelling Talisman, placed at entrances to prevent spiritual beasts and demons from entering, I modified it slightly, it seems to work on mosquitoes too, let’s rename it Mosquito Repelling Talisman.”

520: […That works too?]

It did, apparently.